The Block - Hogwarts Edition
by Y.K.Willstone
Summary: Non-Magic AU - couples from Harry Potter compete in a home rennovating challenge that will push them to the limit and beyond. There will be tears, there will be romance, and there will be rebellion. All of this of cause would be so much easier on them if they didn't have a deadline to meet. Rated T for my own parania.


Disclaimer: I don't own the Block or anything associated with it, I do not own Harry Potter or anything at all really - I use the characters but nothing belongs to me. This is not based on anything that has actually happend in the show - there are challenges and there is some drama but things that are about the making of the show is entirely fictional. As in I have no experience working behind the camera at any television show let alone this one.

"Welcome to the Block 2014!" The man smiled at the camera, his co-host's smiled next to him "I'm your host for the duration of the events - Sirius Black - and this is my co-worker and best friend Remus Lupin."

"Always happy to be here," Remus said, privately thinking that there were other things he'd wanted to do with the money the two of them had received from the last season "To those of you who've never watched the show before here's a rundown for you."

Sirius gestured behind the two of them, where four houses sat in disrepair. The first two houses looked alright - only their roofs seemed to be in total ruin - whereas the third and fourth houses were sagging slightly under their own weight. "Our four couples must work together to fix these houses here - they will be assessed on these houses by our judges, room by room. One room a week, for twelve weeks."

Remus chipped in again "And during this time they'll be given challenges to complete to get them the money to complete the restoration. Then, after the twelve weeks are up, the houses should be complete and our couples only have to worry about the auction night."

"Each house will be auctioned, and the couple who gets the most above the reserve price wins the Block 2014." Sirius clapped his hands "Simple. Now to meet this years couples and by golly they're a fun bunch."

"First up we have the wonderful Harry and Ginny Potter - a couple who come from a small town just south of London."

A clip of the couple was shown to the viewers.

"I'm a police officer for the county police office," the man, Harry, was saying. His wife of two years (as the captions under their faces said) slapped him slightly on the arm.

"You're being modest Harry," she faced the camera "Harry here's one of the youngest detectives on the force."

"But there are younger ones as well Ginny." Harry seemed to want to get the conversation shifted away from himself. "Ginny here's a football player - she plays for a professional club that I'm not allowed to mention on air."

Smiling the two of them continued with their interview - they wanted to used any money that they gained from the show to put on their wedding day and put anything else aside for any children they had in the future.

Back to Sirius and Remus, Sirius took the lead in introducing the next couple "And after them we have our Scotland based couple - Hannah Abbot and Neville Longbottom."

"Well I run a couple of pubs up where we live, but I'd like to start brewing my own beers so that my pub gets an edge that sets them apart from other pubs in the area. I started in the pub business when my aunt, who owned a pub, gave that one to me when she wanted to start a new life."

Cutting into the woman's introduction, someone behind the camera asked Neville what he did for a living.

"Neville works as a gardener, it's not very interesting but I think that it'll give the house a very special look when it comes to garden week."

"I work as an environmental engineer and I have an allotment which I tend in the weekend." Neville spoke up, not looking at his girlfriend "I think we should use the money for the house repairs we've been wanting to do for ages-"

Hannah laughed "We can talk about that later."

"Hermione and Ron Weasley."

Well our youngest child's about to start primary school and we really want to save the money for them to go to university if they want to go there. We'd also use some of the money for a better house or improve the one that we live in." Hermione smiled at the camera, one hand in her husband's, he continued the speech for her.

"I work with one of my brothers in his joke shop and Hermione here's an up and coming star in the law world." They looked at one another in the eyes and the camera briefly flicked back to the two hosts.

"And our final couple - Draco Malfoy and his partner Astoria Greengrass."

"I'm an investment banker and Astoria here's a doctor at St Bartholomew's in London." The two of them sat apart, neither one touching the other in any way.

Astoria added "We don't need to be on here, but we thought that perhaps it would make us work together as a couple better and prepare us for the challenge that marriage and children will bring to our future."

There was an awkward pause as the camera man thought that they would continue to talk, and then the view was back to the hosts.

"And those are our couples for 2014!" Sirius gave the camera a wink "At the moment our couples are on their way here. This is the Block of cause, so nothing's that simple - they had a challenge in their way to finding us here.

Challenge One - Express Lane

Somewhere in the park you now stand there are four cars, one for each time, they are in the colours that are listed below, these are your team colours for your time on the block:

Harry and Ginny - Red

Neville and Hannah - Yellow

Ron and Hermione - Blue

Draco and Astoria - Green

You have to find your new 'Express' cars and drive them to the Block where your fours houses will be waiting. First in, first served, once you've chosen your house then you must spray your colour of paint on the front door. Enjoy.

Harry and Ginny were the first one's to find their car, as they reached the red car they thanked their lucky stars that it hadn't taken them very long at all to find where it had been parked. Ginny quickly got into the front of the car and pulled away - Harry's passenger door had barely closed when they set off. "We want to get the house that we can see ourselves living in ourselves," Ginny said in a commanding tone "That way we'll be able to design it to the best of our ability."

"Yep," was all the response she got.

"A little enthusiasm?" she asked.

"That's a very good plan?" Harry shrugged from the passenger's seat, he had one hand on his seat and the other hand was wrapped around the handle at the top of the door. He looked like he was about to puke.

"Lot's better."

Went they arrived at The Block, they went into the nearest house, but they were quickly out of there shaking their heads. The next house Harry liked "It has personality in the way there's a large lounge and even better garden."

But Ginny thought that "There's just no much I can see that we could do with all of the space." The third house she didn't even go into "No, not in a million years." She loved the fourth house, even though Harry made it clear that he preferred the second house - even going as far as to put their colour spray paint on the door when she thought he wasn't looking.

"I married her, might as well go with what she says," Harry said when Sirius and Remus came by and asked him about the decision when Ginny was busy looking at the tiny living room and smiling at the design she'd come up with. "We're renovating two story houses and living in close quarters with one another - an argument over this isn't worth it."

-000-

Draco and Astoria were the next two people to the car, Draco scoffed when Astoria suggested that he drove them to the houses. "You do it," he said rudely, and she did so quite happily, putting on the radio quietly as her partner looked out of the window moodily.

"You could at least seem like you wanted to come onto the show," Astoria commented halfway to their destination, no response.

They rode in the car, total silence encompassing them, when they reached their destination they got out of the car and went to the nearest house. "I love it." Was all Astoria said, her partner glanced around the entry way. He nodded his head and left to get the spray paint.

"We're not the closest couple as you can see," she said to Remus and Sirius when they visited "We've been living with his parents the whole time since we got promised to one another so it's been restricting to say the least. I don't think his parents think we're being wise coming on here - but we needed a change and Draco thought that it would be an interesting experience."

"Not a romantic then?" Sirius joked, Remus elbowed him but Astoria laughed.

"I don't think that Draco knows what romance is really, when his parents told him that we were going to be wed he just stared at me like I was some alien!"

"A man of few words?" Remus said.

"You could say that." Their conversation was cut off by Draco's return "What took you so long?" Astoria asked, "I thought you said you'd only be a minute."

"I met the neighbours."

"And talked to them?"

"Yes, they were very... interesting."

"Right."

-ooo-

The final cars took a while to be found - the sun was setting in the sky by the time the final two teams arrived at the houses. Hermione and Ron, after a second, went into the third house. Neville and Hannah seemed to chose the other house after barley a glance. The Weasley's were then forced to choose the house they'd gone into first.

The teams assembled once darkness had fallen, they were lit up by spotlights which made them grimace to stand in front of. They were introduced to one another before the hosts arrived. It turned out that Harry and Draco had met when they were getting the spray paint for their respective houses. Ginny and Hermione got on well, as did Ron and Harry. Astoria and Hannah got caught up in a conversation about something their other halves weren't interested in.

By the time Sirius and Remus arrived at the meeting point, Draco and Neville were happy to see them. The camera's were turned onto the hosts "I see you've all been introduced and have settled into the houses." Sirius looked at each of the teams in turn, wrapped up as most of them were in warm clothing.

"Since none of the houses have anything that resembles a habitable room, you've been donated tents from 'Perkins Supplies Limited' until you have completed one of the bedrooms. The dining tent is located between houses two and three in the back garden - you'll have seen that there are no fences up at the moment. Camping for houses one and two are in the back garden of house one and camping for houses three and four is in the back garden of house four."

Sirius stopped for breath and Remus continued for him "The temporary toilets and showers are at the backs of gardens one and four respectively. You are expected to keep them clean, you are expected to cook your own food and if you don't there will be punishment in the form of tasks to anyone not doing this."

"The site manager, Severus Snape, has an office next to the kitchen, go to him to order any timber or materials like that."

There was a lull in the talk and the two hosts brightened slightly, relieved to get all of the information correct "You're second challenge comes in the form of a dinner competition." Remus explained, "you will each host a dinner party with a theme this week. Then there will be a vote. There will be rewards for all teams who score over 20 points. There will also be a prize for the people who are voted to be the top couple at hosting the event."

"The order will be determined by random selection, we've already done the first draw and found that house number one will be going first. Also, by the end of this week your first room must be finished, that room is the double garage and the laundries of each house Judging will be on Sunday. You have seven days. Goodluck."

The cameras were turned off, the presenters dropped their smiles as the camera men started to pack all of the equipment up. After saying goodnight to the couples they made their way to their cars. They drove one behind the other for about a mile before Remus pulled off to the side of the road and stopped the car. Sirius parked beside him.

"I hate this job," was the first thing that he said when he was joined by his partner "So caught up by the 'family angle' that they want to project they ban anything no keeping with their bloody 'family friendly' views that I can't act like you're the person I love the most in the world at all."

"I know Remus," Sirius whispered to him, holding his lover close "But it's just another four months and then we'll quit - they'll have to get someone else to play their game for them."

"I love you."

"I love you too. But we've got to keep going."

"I know," Remus hugged Sirius tighter "But not now."

-oo-

There was no silence at house one. Hannah had made Neville and Draco put up both the tents while she continuously talked to Astoria about anything and everything that she could think of ("And of cause I wasn't going to marry him just yet - I like my independence and don't want that taken from me."). Draco's sympathies had been given to Neville in their case - Hannah made it sound as if he was incapable to do anything.

"So how long have you been going out with Hannah?" Draco asked as he put the cover over the first of the tents.

Neville started hammering a peg to the ground "About a year, maybe around thirteen months."

"Time flying?" Was the sarcastic response. Neville smiled.

"It's just been very, eventful. How long have you been going out with Astroa?"

"Astoria, and one year, seven months, twenty-seven days and," Draco consulted his watch "seven hours exactly." At the disbelieving look that Neville sent him he added "I'm not invested in the marriage to take place. My parents wanted it."

"Ouch, why are you coming on this show then? Telling everybody that you aren't in love seems a bit cruel."

"It gives us a reason to show everybody else that we don't work well together at all. The plan is to break off the engagement halfway through the show and remain friends until the end."

"What does she think of the plan?" Neville said, gesturing over to the place where Astoria was lying on the grass, laughing "Is she going to be okay with just being friends."

"With Astoria," Draco said "She never wants to be more than friends with anyone but one of her own gender."

"Oh!" Neville said, not loudly enough for the girls to hear him, but loud enough for Draco to look around and see if anyone had heard it.

"And in all honesty the fairer sex has no meaning to me really." Draco started on the next tent.

"Why are you telling me this?" Neville asked, joining him in putting up the six person tent "Not that I mind that sort of thing but..."

Draco looked around for a minute before answering, he was absentmindedly unfolding the poles on the tent in the meantime. Neville had almost given up on getting an answer from him but, as the pole was inserted into the loops, the answer came.

"I thought that it would be best to explain the situation to you before you thought anything else," Draco looked Neville in the eye "It was this or treating you like you're worth nothing more than an insect."

"Thanks, I guess."

"It may still happen."

"Oh, that's alright, Hannah does it all time."

"Humm."

-ooo-

House four's garden was slightly more lively - both couples were busy putting up their respective tents, Hermione and Ron finished first. Hermione had packed a pack of beer in their luggage and once both tents were up they offered two of them to the other couple. Ginny accepted and after some persuasion Harry accepted the other one.

"So you said you had kids," Ginny said "How old are they?"

"One turned four last year and the other one's just gone two." Hermione smiled at the other couple, they leaned on one another while sitting on the grass - they seemed like the perfect couple. "Ron's mother's looking after them, she really wanted some time with them and so she's taking them on holiday in about two weeks."

"Won't they miss you?" Harry asked, shifting position on the ground "Since you'll have been away for such a long time."

"We're allowed to email them and video call them while we're on the show - we need the money to help pay for their schooling so it's more of a 'needs must' situation."

The couples sat in silence for a few minutes, watching from afar as the other two couples (well the men) put up their tents across the building site "Best get some sleep now." Ginny said, getting up from the ground, brushing off stray pieces of grass "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Agreeing with her the others stood up and went into their respective tents "You'd never know how big these tents really are from the outside." Harry commented as he and Ginny entered their tent. After getting into their pyjamas, the couple settled down into the sleeping bags they'd been provided with and set up their handheld camera.

"So we've just settled down for the night," Harry said, holding the camera as far away from his face as he could manage, Ginny snuggled into his shoulder.

"And the other couples seem lovely, I only wish it wasn't a competition so we could get to know them better than we might."

"It's the start of three months love," said Harry, looking at the camera "I'm sure we'll know most things about the other teams by the time we finish here in July." Looking back to the camera he added "But right now I think we need to get some sleep, night."

-ooo-

Draco switched on the camera facing it towards Astoria who started "It's been a very long day," Draco snorted from behind the camera. "Well what else would you call it?" Astoria demanded. He turned the camera to himself.

"I would call it an enlightening experience."

"Such a large vocabulary," his partner said, sarcasm dripping from her voice "It matches up to your large ego."

"Ouch, you wound me."

They looked at one another off the camera. The camera was turned off.

-ooo-

"You wouldn't believe it from the way that her boyfriend treats her, but Astoria's really a very nice person. Not too bright mind, but I like her." Hannah's long hair was freshly tied up giving the impression that she didn't find camping a challenge at all. Neville, however, knew better.

"Be nice Hannah, I liked the pair of them." Ever the peacemaker, Neville's voice was calm and collected he went to continue but his girlfriend cut him off.

"But she didn't even help us put up the tents, what kind of girlfriend does that make her."

"You didn't help us, it was just me and Draco, and Astoria really wanted to help out but you told her not to 'get in the way of man's work'."

"I gave you verbal encouragement and advice, you got those tents up faster than if I'd left you to your own devices. Really Neville, we both know how hopeless you really are."

Neville sighed towards the camera, giving it a look that clearly said 'what can you do'. A hand moved over the screen.

-ooo-

There was a flurry of noise from the final tent to turn off their camera; the sound of fabric rustling and a book being put down "Do we have to do this now?" Hermione asked, head only just poking out of the top of her sleeping bag. It's freezing Ronald!"

"We do, we've emailed the kids now and called up mum, we have to do this quickly." Hermione grumble slightly but conceded, grabbing a jumper from the side of her sleeping bag, slipping it on, and then climbing half out of the sleeping bag to do the video diary.

"I really like the house we ended up with," Hermione began "I think with a bit of hard work it could be the best house on the block, and it's going to have lots of room for books, isn't it Ronald?"

Ron coughed slightly "I never thought that there wasn't going to be."

-End of Chapter One-

Next Time on The Block - Hogwarts Edition

Garage and Laundry day one gets interesting when the first house welcomes the others to their dinner celebration.

Your team needs your help:

Each 'week' vote for your favourite couple to win the challenges/room reveals of the week. The overall couple with the most wins according to the readers votes will win the people's choice and get a special prize of their own. Click on my profile to vote now!


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